Maybe you’re expecting a child in the next few months. Or maybe the lighter, brighter days suggest the qualities you love in a name.

Either way, these names run the gamut. They’re traditional and religious, modern and cool.

Some of the lists tend towards the silly. Except it turns out that fictional rabbits? They’ve answered to some pretty amazing names.

Nature names are heavily represented, as are finds from the ancient world. But the variety is staggering. For every popular Chloe (it means green shoot in Greek, making it an obvious Spring name for a daughter), there’s a wait-what name, like Catkin. (It’s the fuzzy little flower cluster on trees like willows, and while that seems Spring-like, they grow at various times of the year. I still think it works. Also, it’s just plain fun to say!)

Many parents hope that their child’s name will come to them. A lightning strike of inspiration, followed by that moment when both parents agree that The Name feels exactly right. Trouble is that only happens sometimes. Most of the time it takes logic and compromise to choose a name. And falling madly in love with […]

We’re one more week in March Madness baby names 2018, which means it’s time for the Girls Semi Finals. One of the QuarterFinal matches surprised me. Another one was expected – but oh golly, did the winner win big! It’s always fun to see which names really appeal when you’re forced to make a choice […]

March Madness baby names 2018 rolls into the boys SemiFinals round! Some years we have crazy close matches, with only a few votes separating one name from another. But this year? So far, nearly every contest has had a clear winner. Even the ones that I thought would be most difficult seem to be delivering […]

Name Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Every week, one reader’s name questions will be discussed. We’re relying on thoughtful comments from the community to help expectant parents narrow down their name decisions. Thank you in advance for sharing your insight! Meredith writes: Hi! We need help coming up with a name for our […]

Chadwick brings to mind Hollywood leading man Boseman. But it had a good run in the 1970s – and might just make a comeback today. Our Baby Name of the Day is inspired by the star of Black Panther. Chadwick: Last Name First Chad sounds like a 60s surfer, or a child of the 70s. […]

Let’s talk Cambridge prince names. Because sometime soon, William and Kate – that’s the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, officially – will welcome their third child together. And we can’t wait to hear what they’ll choose for his name. The royal couple stick to the traditional choices for their children – or at least they […]

I wrote the title of the post before I really thought it out, but it works doesn’t it? Clearly, unusual names feature in my thoughts this week. Maybe it’s because my most recent weekly newsletter was all about how Lunacy is not a good baby name, but hey, I was wrong about Maverick. So now […]

March Madness baby names 2018 continues with the girls’ quarter finals! The opening round brought a few surprises. And, of course, a couple of perpetual disappointments. Why is Elodie always a bridesmaid, but never a bride? The name makes it to March Madness nearly every year, but has yet to win. I think I might […]

The opening round of March Madness 2018 is in the books, and we saw some close matches – and some unambiguous victories. It’s too soon to predict the winner, but we’ve got a better guess today than we did last week. March Madness 2018: Opening Round Results Wilder bested Atlas easily, 62% to 38%. Eyes […]